Though Kyle was sorely tempted to head downstairs just by the smells that wafted up from below, he decided to lay low and stay in his room. Thankfully, he had a peaceful sleep and woke up feeling refreshed. 

He found that someone had brought in his duffle bag, which made him wonder if his truck was here as well. He grabbed a quick shower and dressed in a black t-shirt with the logo of one of his favorite video game characters on it, jeans, and his work boots.  He didn’t see anyone else upstairs the entire time. He checked his phone's clock seeing that it was just about 9 in the morning. Figuring he might as well get a late breakfast, he headed downstairs. 

The stairway ended in a hallway that stretched the length of the building. He could see what must have been offices on either side and a large door leading to what must’ve been the tavern if his nose was any indication.

I don’t know what’s cooking but it sure smells good. Can’t wait to dig into whatever it is.

You and me both.

Are you always trying to get the last word in these little chats?

Kyle could have sworn he just saw his wolf grow huge anime-esque puppy dog eyes.  Who, me? How could you even say that?
Kyle shook his head and hoped he wasn’t going crazy and walked toward the large door.  As he pulled it open, he saw a black sign in gold trim on the tavern-facing side that wrote: “Private” in large script. He walked into the main dining room. Most of the open space was dominated by square tables in neat rows, their matching chairs resting upturned on them. He turned left and headed to the bar that took up probably three-quarters of the wall with a pair of swinging doors taking the remaining quarter. There was a serving window cut into the wall for the bartender to grab orders and allow customers to see the cooks at work in the kitchen. He saw two stout and squat figures at the bar. One, a black-haired woman was polishing the counter with oil and a rag, while the other, a man with the same color hair, was washing glasses and flatware. As Kyle sat at one of the bar’s green upholstered stools, he could see that both of the workers were standing on boxes with foldable stepstools nearby.

The woman looked up at him, her chocolate-brown eyes shining in the light. “So you’re up and about, eh? It’s about bloody time. You spent half the morning dozing in bed while the rest of us are working. Ayla said you were to have a good breakfast. That’s all well and good, but if you’re going to be eating here, you gotta pay the bill.” Kyle reached for his wallet but the woman interrupted him. “I don’t mean cash. You’re paying in sweat and elbow grease. From the looks of ya, I’d wager you aren’t shy about hard work. Am I right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” She turned to the window. “Charlie! Eggs, bacon, and toast. Make ‘em Kurt-sized.”

“No problem ‘Ra. One Kurt-special comin’ right up.” A male voice with a slight Cajun accent answered. Kyle watched as the dark-skinned cook grabbed a large mixing bowl, a carton of eggs, and proceeded to crack the entire carton into it. He added some milk and some kind of seasoning from a can that Kyle couldn’t see the label on. Kyle then watched as the cook grabbed an entire slab of bacon and threw it on the griddle, followed by the bowls of scrambled eggs. Soon, the sounds of sizzling fat and smells had Kyle’s mouth watering.

Kyle turned away from the window and looked at the short woman. “So, your name’s Ra? That’s...unusual.”

She shook her head, the bob cut bouncing in the air, “Nope. My name’s Mara. Charlie just likes using as few letters as possible when he starts working his magic. The grumpy gus next to me is my twin brother, Mark.”

“I am not grumpy,” Mark replied as he polished a mug.

“Oh yes, you are. You’ve always been that way since you came out forty minutes after me. It took all Momma had to just get your stubborn ass out. I know we Stonehearts are solidly built but, from what she says, you darn near wrecked her for life. I don’t think she or Da would have appreciated that.”

Mark thumped a mug on the counter and looked up.“Do ya have to say stuff like that in front of strangers, Mara?” The dwarf heaved a heavy sigh and then pointed at his sister.  “It ain’t proper and ya know it!” Muttering, he turned back to his wash station and resumed his washing.

She leaned over to Kyle and whispered, “I don’t mean nothin’ by it. I just like getting his dander up. He’s so into his shell sometimes, I got to force him to join the rest of us, ya know?”

Kyle nodded while Mark continued washing and muttering. As he waited for his meal, he looked at Mara. He hesitated but decided to just plow on through. “I hope you don’t mind but based on your builds and the last name are the two of you...um...dwarves? I mean dwarves in the literary sense and not the actual.” He blushed again. “No, that’s not right. I mean…”

Mara laughed hard. “Aye. I know what you mean. The answer is yes. We’re dwarves in every sense of the word. Born under the Colorado Rockies in the dwarven city of Deep Quartz. We’re some of the best rock-biters this side of the Great Divide and don’t you forget it!”

Both Kyle and Mara chuckled. She went over to the coffee maker and grabbed a mug. “Want a cup?” 

Kyle nodded and Mara grabbed a second and filled up both mugs to the brim. As both sipped their coffee, Kyle asked, “Wait. Dwarven city? You mean there’s an entire city under a mountain?”
Mara chuckled. “Didn’t get too far from home, did ya? There are lots of cities out there. If there’s a major mountain range, there are a couple of thousand dwarves who call it home.  Not just dwarves but orcs, elves, gnomes, shifters, and lots of other fae. If you can’t pass as human or can’t afford the spells or glamors to be above ground, it’s the only place you can live. It’s not perfect but it’s the best we can do. Every time we tried to poke our noses out and maybe breathe a bit of fresh air, or heaven forbid, even integrate with humanity,  some crusade or inquisition comes along and slaughters everyone they can find. Have to kill “the demons” to keep the faithful little lambs pure and innocent, ya know?” 

Kyle nodded. “People fear and hate what they don’t understand or don’t want to learn about.”

Mara nodded. “Yep. Buggers, the lot of ‘em.” She took a long pull of her coffee.

To change the topic, Kyle looked around and gestured with his mug. “So you guys aren’t exactly screaming “Biker Gang to me.” 

She shrugged and Mark grunted again as he grabbed another glass mug. “Just how many biker gangs do you know?” Kyle winced a little and nodded at her rebuke. “Bikers are just like everyone else. There are good ones and bad ones. Chesterfield had quite a few of the latter originally. We chased them out when we rode in. Turned their old clubhouse into the Moon here.” She gazed fondly around the room.  “Not a bad deal, all things considered.” She cupped her mug and looked squarely at Kyle.  “There’s a problem in town that can’t be handled “by the book”, you talk to Kurt. If he’s feeling generous enough, he might help. We cleaned up a lot of the riff-raff in town so the sheriff leaves us alone as long as we don’t cause too much trouble. All-in-all, it’s not a bad life.”

Kyle nodded and took another sip. “Yeah. Sounds good to me.” Mark finished with his last mug and went into the kitchen. Shortly thereafter, Kyle could hear the sounds of water running and dishes clanking. Mara topped off his cup when Charlie called out, “Order up!” and placed two large platters loaded with a dozen scrambled eggs topped with scallions and some kind of red seasoning, a full slab of bacon, and half a loaf of wheat toast with a jar of strawberry jam. 

As Mara placed the platters in front of him, Kyle opened his silverware and got ready to dig in. “Well, at least you know how to feed a Wolf.”

Mara grinned. “Charlie’s taking it easy on you. Kurt usually eats about two of these plus a stack of flapjacks near as tall as me.”

As Kyle started tearing into the eggs, he was amazed at how the scallions matched the heat of the cayenne pepper mixed in to add just the right amount of zing to each bite. “So there’s a local pack around here then?”

Mara paused in her polishing and set the rag down. Her face grew serious as she slowly brought her free hand under the counter while Kyle was distracted with his food. “None. He’s a rogue.”

Kyle swallowed and was silent for a moment. “A rogue? Really? Huh.” He went back to shoveling the eggs into his mouth.

Mara’s brow arched, “That doesn’t both you? Really? What I know about Wolves is what he told me but I half expected you to shift, tear down the hall, and I’d have a lot of your blood to mop up.”

Kyle finished swallowing his current bite. “I should but I’m willing to let it slide for now. He hasn’t bothered me....too much.”

“Good call.” Mara went back to polishing the countertop as she brought her hand up. Kyle didn’t miss the slight glow fade from her hand or the slight hint of ozone that tickled his nose.

“Besides, I’m not about to let this get cold. It’s too good.” Kyle grinned as he tore a chunk of toast in half. They both grinned as Kyle spread some jam on the bread.

As he moved onto some of the bacon, Kyle asked, “Why do you think that if I had fought him, it’d be my blood you’d be sopping up? I think I handled myself pretty ok at the depot.”

Mara gave a wicked grin in reply. “You’re not the first Wolf to come in here. I’ve seen him fight. Let’s just say there’s a reason no Wolf in a hundred miles has been here for years attempting to put him down.”

Kyle’s expression darkened. “He killed them?”

Mara’s grin never faltered. “Never. He just made sure that they knew who the bigger dog was. He’d finish the fight and Mark would help patch them back up. Sometimes it took a few rounds to finally get it through their heads though.” She gestured to the wreckage before her.  “Now finish your food. I’ve got plans for you!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kyle nodded and went back to his meal with gusto. 

About a half-hour later, Kyle stacked the plates and handed them to Mara. She replied with a broom, a dustpan, and a couple of trashbags in return. As Kyle shoved the bags in his back pocket, Mara said,  “Start with the dining room. Then head out to the front porch. There’s a dumpster near the back end of the Moon. After you’re finished sweeping, you’re mopping. I’ll have everything all ready to go when you need it. If you finish all of that, I’m sure I can find something else for you to do. Sound fair?”

“Fair enough.” Kyle took the broom and got to work. 

He spent the rest of the morning doing his chores. He welcomed the monotony of the work as it helped keep his mind off everything that had happened. For the first time since the attack, he started to feel like his old self. He managed to finish everything by lunch. After some wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, Mara placed a bundle of clean rags on the bar and handed him a large bottle of wood polish. “Start with the chairs, then the table. Do it one table at a time or ya will never finish before we open. I’ll take the left side, ya take the right and we’ll meet in the middle. Ya miss a spot and ya won’t have to worry about Bob or Kurt coming after your mangy hide. Clear?”

“Crystal,” Kyle replied with a laugh in his voice.

Together they went to work. As they chatted, Kyle felt himself start to relax around his “captors”. The more he got to know about them, the more he realized that they weren’t bad people. He didn’t even mind the fact that Bob had come in at some point and just stood at the entrance glaring at him, almost daring him to try to run. A few hours later every piece of wood sparkled as a faint scent of citrus drifted across the room.

Mara clapped her hands together in mock applause. “Not bad, rookie. Not bad at all.” Kyle bowed at the waist and both laughed heartily.  As Mara gathered up the bucket they threw their used rags in and placed the two much lighter bottles on top of the pile, she smiled up at him. “Well, I think that about pays off ya board for the day.  ‘ead back upstairs and watch some TV if ya want. There are some snacks in the pantry ya can munch on. Just don’t touch the chocolate chip cookies. Those belong to Bob.”

Kyle nodded and went back to the apartment. Now that he knew the layout downstairs, he could see how the living areas above were laid out. The bedrooms were over the kitchen and bar which led out to the open living room/rec room area with a large dining table and chair set in the far left corner with a decent-sized kitchenette above it. A corner of the kitchen was covered in a large blue marble countertop with cabinets above and below. A large island between the dining table and kitchen added additional workspace and seating. Not a bad place at all. Kinda reminds me of home a little. He grabbed a bag of potato chips and sat down on the leather couch facing the seventy-inch HDTV. A set of matching recliners and a loveseat were also grouped around the set with a large bookcase resting against one wall that was stacked from top to bottom with various paperbacks. Kyle could tell someone was a voracious reader as every book showed signs of being well-used. He flipped the TV on and quickly found a local news station.

An attractive brunette was just finishing her current story. “In other news, the Amethyst Pharmaceutical shipping depot in Wilmington is reporting a break-in that occurred two days ago. Three security guards were severely injured with a fourth in critical condition. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported.” Well, now we know who’s calling the shots for this story. I may not be the best wolf but I could smell when there’s enough blood to account for that many bodies. There wasn’t anything close to that. The guards were taken out before they had a chance to react. The newscaster continued, “Nothing has been reported stolen or damaged so the cause of the break-in is unknown at this time. Local authorities are investigating.”

“I still need to ask what they were doing out there in the first place,” Kyle muttered to himself.

“Nothing that concerns you, Cub,” Kurt answered from behind him.

Kyle jumped up in surprise as chips spilled all over the couch. I didn’t hear him or even smell him. How the hell did he sneak up on me like that? No one’s been able to do that since my wolf manifested.

His inner wolf snarled. Tell me about it.  He’s good.

Is that admiration I hear?

Damn right it is, hotshot! Give credit where credit is due!

The older man looked at the mess of greasy chips spread out over his favorite sofa. He grunted disapprovingly then turned back to Kyle. “You can spend the night but you’re gone first thing tomorrow. We brought back that clunker you call a truck so you can take it back to where you came from.”

Kyle shot up immediately. “Oh, hell no. Not going to happen. Look, I appreciate what the others here have done for me but I’m not going back home.”

Kurt wasn’t impressed by the young man’s bravado in the slightest. “You have no damn idea what you’re doing out here. You’re just some cub trying to fit in his father’s shoes off on a delusional quest to play at being a hero. This isn’t a game cub. People will die if you fuck up. I’m honestly surprised your father even let you go as wet behind the ears as you are. Must not be much of a Wolf. ”

Kyle fought against the rising heat of his temper, he wouldn’t let this bastard get the best of him. Yet, his voice dropped into a low growl no matter how hard he tried to keep it out of his voice. “Don’t you dare talk about him. You don’t know him. He was a good man.”

Kurt scoffed. “You’re right. Still, he must be one pathetic excuse for a man if he can’t even keep his own kin in line. Though that’s nothing compared to your Alpha.” Kurt shook his head slowly. “That must be one sorry pack indeed if cubs like you are allowed to roam unsupervised.”

The burning coal of anger in Kyle’s stomach flared into an inferno and he felt his fur beginning to sprout. “Look, out of respect for your crew, you apologize right the hell now and I’ll let this misunderstanding go but don’t you dare push it further.”

Kurt’s voice turned even more condescending. “I really don’t get you cub. Running across the country to bring back some dead girl’s body? That’s one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard and I’ve heard a lot of them.” He raised both arms in a so-what gesture. He scoffed even harder. His voice dripped with loathing and mockery. “She’s cold as ice by now. Hoping for one last lay? Was she really that great a fuck?”

That did it. Kyle leaped over the leather sofa, amber eyes blazing in fury as his clothes shredded into ribbons as he shifted. His right arm was outstretched, his claws reaching for the older man’s throat. In a fraction of an instant though, Kyle’s target suddenly disappeared. As momentum carried Kyle forward, he felt Kurt grab his neck and push him to the ground. Kyle felt the man’s weight dig into his spine as Kurt grabbed Kyle’s off-arm and bent it backward at such a steep angle Kyle could feel the tendons start to snap. Snapping his jaws in rage, Kyle tried to reach him with his free arm but Kurt somehow managed to stay out of reach. Kurt leaned down and whispered contemptuously in Kyle’s elongated ear as the younger wolf snarled and spat, drool spraying across the hardwood floor. “Pathetic. You haven’t even merged yet, have you? I can tell your wolf’s in control right now and that’s just plain sad at your age.” Kyle tried rising only to feel sharp claws dig into his back, causing him to howl in pain. “Uh uh. None of that now. You are nothing but a cub, boy. Tomorrow you’re going home one way or another. Tell Richard Harper this:  “Kurt says Hi” when you see him.”

Kyle instantly froze as he felt Kurt’s weight remove itself. He heard the other man’s heavy footfalls descend down the hallway to the main stairwell. Kyle lifted his head to follow him. Just as Kurt hit the first step, he turned around and pointed at the mess. “Clean that mess up, Cub. Ayla hates crumbs on the furniture.”